Heroes Outshine The Whiners

Today we stop to honour Rememberance Day, or Armistice Day. Veterans Day to Americans. But no matter what we call it, the thoughts behind it are the same. We remember those brave men and women who have served, and are serving, in conflicts throughout the world. Both past and present. The souls who have given, and are still giving, their lives for our freedom.
It is observed on this date (11 November) to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918, after hostilities of the first World War formally ended 'at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month' of 1918.
And how well people remember. Shops, streets, pubs, car parks, in fact most public places, all halted what they were doing at 11am tp stand in 2 minures silence. Even radios took part to honour the brave. It is an emotional thing to see and be part of, with a cocktail of feelings surging through ones frame; pride, sadness, anger, frustration, hope.
I can honestly say that Rememberance Day is the only time I feel 'at one' with my fellow Brits. During those two minutes silence I feel my trust in humanity come flooding back as if the missing part of my spirit suddenly found my body once more. It really is a special moment. (Sadly its a fleeting surge of hope because come the 12th im back feeling nothing but drudgery and dismay at the UK.)
Rewind to just one day to November 10th however and the ugly, more accurate face of this country emerges. Thousands of students (admittedly not my most favourite of people) rampaged in spots of london to protest against increases in university fees. Now had these oafs held a peaceful demonstation to show their annoyance in a civil manner, I would have no problem. Everyone has the right to protest in a free country afterall.
Charging around, hurling bricks and bottles, smashing windows and generally behaving like Cro-Magnon man is quite frankly where you lose my support. Sure there were elements of the rent-a-riot crew involved (people who will jump on any cause purely for a chance to create mayhem) but it couldn't have been all down to them. I can well imagine a house full of students getting blotto on snakebites and deciding it would be fun to don V For Vigilante masks to liven the protest up a bit.
This is where character shines through and the public is able to see true colours. The British military are not the best equipped army in the world and there are areas where life in the forces could be improved upon but you don't see our soldiers taking to the streets and stoving in windows. They simply get on with it and go off to do their duty, with death hounding them at every step.
We ought send those students caught up in the protest clashes over to Helmand to see if they could put that agression to some use. That would have them scuttling home to mummy with their spliffs between their pansy legs.
It has certainly been an interesting last few days to stand back and observe. To watch, sniff the air and take notes on the mankinds great balancing act. Great thinkers might come from the halls of academia but without people who are prepared to lay down their life in defence of the country then universities might as well be as empty as our castle's dungeons.